College questions from a rising Senior?

To answer your first two questions, you need to talk to your HS guidance counselor ASAP. They will know all of this information. You should also talk to Clemson's admissions counselors for specific information. Clemson's financial aid office will also help you as much as possible; sometimes they'll even get you scholarships you didn't know you were eligible for (this happened to me a couple times). Talk to them.

To answer #3: books are expensive, something like $800-$1000 a semester now. Use online resources to get them used or traded if possible. Dorms are also expensive but not all that much worse than off-campus housing, plus you have the benefit of being right there in the middle of things. I enjoyed on-campus housing. At orientation they should tell you what you need to bring, but basically you'll need everything you'd expect to have in your bedroom (linens, towels, clothes, toiletries etc), plus entertainment (TV, computer, card games, whatever; also a landline phone) and whatever furniture may fit (a loft, beanbag chair, maybe a regular chair--but you should check out the dorm room you're assigned to first, to see what will fit). If you're in a dorm with private or semi-private bathrooms you'll need equipment (shower curtain, cleaning supplies, TP, plunger); if you're in a dorm with a kitchenette you'll need kitchen stuff, plus possibly a dining table. Some dorms allow fridge/microwaves or a combo unit, but oftentimes they are banned so check the individual dorm rules first. Also, coordinate with your assigned roommate(s) to decide who brings what.

#4: Clemson places a TINY bit of consideration on extracurriculars, but not much. And even that's new--until about 2 years ago they didn't consider extracurriculars *at all* in their admissions decisions. Their admissions are all about academics, plus a liberal helping of in-state residency and legacy status. So don't kill yourself trying to pad your application with a zillion extracurriculars. Clemson won't really care that much.

Hope that helps....

1. You can check their website. They'll most likely have a section dedicated to Prospective Students, & then a subcategory that has to do with the application process. If you can't find it or you're still not sure, call the school, specifically Admissions if you can get a hold of them.

2. Not sure how scholarships work, sorry. I believe it depends on where you win the scholarship from. Some websites send you the scholarship, some send it to the school. Or sometimes, websites have scholarships that come from the school. So, if you win the one from the school, tHe money will be at the school. My sincerest apologies if I'm terribly wrong.

3. If you're staying in a dorm, your living necessecities are a good start, such as: bed sheets, your clothes, toilettries, etc. Books & stuff, you'll purchase, most likely through the school, I believe & hear.

4. It isn't too late, necessarily, but, it will show colleges that you weren't very active during school, besides classes. But I would say, join clubs anyway. It'll show colleges you did something at least. Also, volunteering. Colleges not only want to see you participate in school, but also in the community. They want well-rounded people that will make the school look good, basically. They don't want someone that will go to college just for the classes.

College life is different, so I hear. Sorry I couldn't be as much help as you probably wanted/needed, but that is as much input as I could give to help you out. This is a combination of my general knowledge, some of my college friends, and a lot of research I've done in regards to college. If you ever need more help, consult your high school counselor!

Best of luck(:

1. On their website, there should be an application form for the school. Either an online form or a print out to send by mail. They will request your high school transcript and SAT scores. I live in PA. I applied for schools in November/December/January of my senior year, in highschool.

Apply to many schools just incase you won't get in Clemson. Take the SAT's ASAP. Study hard.

2. Goes through the admissions office. You don't get a check yourself as far as I know. It is tough getting a scholarship. Apply for the Federal Student Loan. FAFSA.org Your parents will have to help you apply for this. It is a long process with many diffifult questions that even your parents won't know how to answer without consulting with an accountant. Once you graduate in engineering from college, you have 6 months to find a job and start paying them back for the loan. You can ask for an extension if you don't find a job.

3. Dorms are extremely expensive. Try to avoid them at all costs. Larger cleaner apartments are usually cheaper. If you can commute from home, that would be better. But for a dorm, you will need a computer, backback, bed sheets and pillows, a shelving unit, books, hangers for clothes, a fan, and towels and cleaning supplies. Dorms usually come with beds and a desk and chair.

4. Join clubs related to your major. You usually join them in the first month after attending Clemson. There will be fairs and events where clubs recruit new members and students learn more about campus life. For example, joining the art club is useless to you. Nothing to do with Civil Engineering.

5. College Life is awesome. It will be the best time of your life. Don't waste it drinking. Study hard so you can afford to have fun with your future friends.

Talk to your highschool student advisor. He or she should help you with the application process and with looking for scholarships. That is how I got my $3000 scholarship.

I see a lot of these questions on here, and it's hard to answer it all in just a couple paragraphs, but I'll do my best. I might miss something, and if I do, I'll try to come back later and fix it.

1. Virtually every single college now has an online application. Clemson University is no exception, and you should apply online. Here is the link to apply: https://www.applyweb.com/apply/clemson/index.html. To access, this, I just went to Clemson's website and then hit "admissions." Once you've registered on their site, you can proceed thorough the application. The biggest things that you will need to send along with the online application are standardized test scores, recommendations, and high school transcript. Many schools allow this to all be submitted online, but some still require it be sent in on paper. Either way is fine; talk to your high school counselor and see what the application wants before making a decision on how to do that. College applications are not difficult per se; they are, however, time consuming, as there are a lot of parts to each one, and you have to send a lot of stuff in. It takes time, and the sooner you start, the better.

2. Scholarships can vary on how they work. Some private scholarships (usually from non-university affiliated donors) will send a check right to you; some don't even check if you're actually spending the money on education. If the scholarship comes from the college itself, it will usually be deducted automatically from your student account invoice before tuition, room, and board are due.

3. Book lists will be on the syllabi for each class; just go to the campus bookstore and buy them. If you want to save money, I highly recommend Amazon.com; they even include free shipping if you spend over $25 (which you definitely will on college textbooks). Other dorm things include a small vacuum cleaner, all your clothes, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, linens/ towels, toiletries, silverware (3 or 4 each of cups, knives, forks, and spoons will do), a bottle opener (trust me, you want to have one, especially if you plan to drink), a desk lamp, an iron and ironing board, school supplies (just like what you'd have at home during high school), a calculator (you'll need a fancy one as an engineer), posters/ flags/ pictures for decorations (you'll want some), cleaning supplies (glass cleaner, Lysol, and multi-purpose cleaner should do), paper towel, tissues, medications (Motrin/ Tylenol, allergy meds, prescriptions, cold/ flu meds, etc), and snack food.

4. These definitely help, and colleges expect to see them listed on your application. Whether or not it's too late to join honor societies and whatnot depends on your high school. You can definitely join clubs though. Even if you just start running and do a 5K, that will help because it shows that you committed to something and followed through on it. Volunteering is also GREAT, and it's not at all too late to start doing that.

5. I think you have everything here. My advice would just be to apply early and apply around. Make sure to apply to where you want to go in a perfect world, but also apply intelligently to backup schools. I always advise students to apply to at least one school where they are sure they will get admissions, where they would be OK going if push came to shove, and where they can for sure afford. Make sure at least one (but ideally 2) school fits that criteria. After that, apply to any schools that you have serious interest in. I'd say don't apply to more than 7; after that, the length of each application will get to you, and the quality of each app will probably start to decline. Finally, wait until ALL your admissions decisions and initial financial aid offers are in before paying your deposit anywhere. Once you can see all of the cards, you can decide. Good luck!

1. Every school's web site tells you exactly what they want.

2. You look at what it says in the web site to apply and you do that. Sometimes you get a check. Other times it gets paid to the school. It varies. Look at the terms on the web site.

3. You need what you use now for daily living. Just leave the game console at home. Remember you do not have much storage space. For books, the school issues book lists.

4. They barely matter. They maybe add 0.1 points to an applicants GPA. Also, school bast ECs barely matter at all as anyone can join them. Doing stuff outside of school counts more.

5. Just read what it says on the web sites of the schools where you intend to apply. Talk to the counselors at your school and ask questions of the schools where you plan to apply.

Congrats on entering your last year of High School! As a graduate of this year (Class of 2012), I just went through everything you are about to experience.

1. College Admissions are vital! Do not under any circumstances wait till the last minute; be prepared to submit everything at least a week before the deadline, a month is even better. Check your school online and they will detail exactly everything they want, typically SAT/ACT/AP scores, High School Transcripts, essay prompts they provide, and sometimes letters of recommendation. Your essay is very vital, and can tip the balance between admission and being wait-listed (put on alternate standby). There are many more tips on writing good essays in books and online.

In addition, make sure you've looked at all the schools you might be interested in. Do NOT limit yourself. I would suggest you apply to schools higher than what you'd expect- you never know unless you apply. Come application season, it'll be too late to research more.

2. Scholarships are another category like essays where there is a lot to learn. Simply put, there are four major sources of money. The first are college scholarships, awarded directly by the college upon admission. Most are awarded for good grades, and the smaller the school, the more likely you'll get something. If its a really small school (>2000 students), you could get hefty awards, intended to sway you to stay.

The second source are government grants and loans (most notably, Pell Grant and Perkins Loan). Grants are scholarships that never need repayment, while government loans are very low interest-rate, long-term repayment loans offered by the government. Awarding these two are done by the FAFSA, a government application. Those whose families make far less usually get them.

Lastly, there are scholarships. I split them into two categories; national/regional, and local scholarships. If you go onto scholarship websites (Cappex, Fastweb, Zinch, etc) you will get a list of roughly 50-75 scholarships, mostly offered by big corporations or organizations. These are hard hard hard to win because of their popularity, but can payout in the $10,000s. The second group are local scholarships, like from your High School, City, American Legion, Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, or other group in your city. Prizes may be smaller ($500-$2,000) but competition is usually 25 people or less, just because people don't know about them.

Scholarships may award money directly to you in a check, or send that check to a college. Think of scholarships are little competitions for who can write the essay. You write so many in English classes, why not write one that has a cash prize?

3. What do you need? You should worry about this much later, lol. Honestly, I'm going to leave this one blank for now; you'll figure it out depending on where you end up going.

4. It is never too late to join clubs, and I strongly recommend it. In my Senior Year, I was in at least 6 clubs, and the President of two. You can make some friends, have a great time, and find a common interest. College applications do ask for them, and especially note any positions you may have held. Companies also note this for first time jobs. If you do join, bring your friends, and if you get a position, don't abandon it! Always be eager to have your club do school-wide activities.

5. Senior Year is supposed to be the most memorable, and eventually everyone enters what we call 'Senioritis', once applications are in. Don't slack off once the first semester ends, and stay strong for APs and maintaining good grades. Apply to as many colleges that interest you- I didn't, and now I regret it. Also take a look at majors and fields you think you might want to pursue. You have three years before you officially declare, but you should find your passion soon; if not yet, then try to explore a bit. Most of all, just have fun. A chapter of your life is going to end, and another is about to begin.

When to apply? Usually they're between December and March. Do take a look now and create reminders for you in the coming months. If the applications are available online, print them out and fill them in advance to know what to look for.

If you're doing your SAT, most will accept scores from tests as late as December (even though the test is after the application deadline). I'd recommend October or November, once your brain starts getting back into gear.

If you're completely bored this summer, start looking at scholarships. Most have deadlines in the spring, when Seniors are overloaded, or too lazy. Don't be one of them! Prepare essays early if you have time. You do not need to be accepted to a college unless the scholarship explicitly states it.

Go to the CUSC Admissions website. It walks you through the process.

https://www.applyweb.com/apply/clemson/index.html

At some point they will ask for a copy of your high school transcripts. Visit your high school's counselors' office. They can tell you what you need to do to have a copy of your high school transcript mailed to the college. Depending on the CUSC requirements, CUSC may ask for letters of recommendation from your teachers and/or an essay written by you on a topic assigned by the college.

https://sites.google.com/site/paul7collegeinfo/hom...

Once you have been accepted, the college will send you a "financial aid package." This is a document describing what sort of scholarships and financial aid the school is willing to offer you, based on your financial need and your academic record. If you need student loans or additional assistance, call the CUSC Financial Aid Office. There are websites around that will guy you to outside scholarships, but these scholarships are usually small change compared with what the school itself will offer you. CUSC will tell you what you have to pay AFTER the aid it is willing to give you. No actual check or payment is required on your part.

https://sites.google.com/site/paul7collegeinfo/hom...

The school will give you a bed, a desk, a chair, and a dresser. You provide bed linens and everything else for your room. The school's Housing Office will advise you on what things like microwaves are allowed in the dorms. You purchase textbooks at the school's bookstore just prior to the start of classes. The bookstore will have its textbooks arrange by class, with shelf tags telling you which books you need to buy for each class.

Focusing on your grades is best, but extra-curricular activities can spruce up your application.

https://sites.google.com/site/paul7collegeinfo/hom...

Your unweighted GPA and your SAT and/or ACT test scores will count for about 75-80% of CUSC's decision on whether or not to accept you.

More on surviving college

https://sites.google.com/site/paul7collegeinfo/hom...

Find out more about CUSC

https://sites.google.com/site/paul7collegeinfo/hom...

Unless you can pay for the tuition without any scholarship no. Schools like Harvard want the best not the somewhat good. If you have any hope of getting into the big leagues then go to a good school for a couple years and earn a 4.0 with several extra curriculars and then transfer to Harvard or whatever. Seriously, people have to pay their way to get into a school like that.